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Warriors wary of losing focus

Matt Manukia

Complacency is a demon the Warriors are finding difficult to exorcise.

That has been made clear during some brutally honest post-game reviews in the "war room" at the club's Mount Smart headquarters this season.

The issue reared its head in last week's underwhelming 16-12 win over the last-placed Sharks and coach Andrew McFadden knows it must be stamped out as the Warriors eye their first NRL finals appearance in three years.

Set to replace the ever-present Nathan Friend at hooker against the Knights on Sunday, Thomas Leuluai provided some insight into how one of the most feared teams in the NRL can be so inconsistent.

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"Our mindset and the way we approached the game showed in our attack," Leuluai said of their match-up with Cronulla.

"We put a play on and waited for that to go through, and if it didn't we were sort of surprised that it didn't work. The week before (when beating Canberra 54-18) we were scoring off all our big plays.

"Against Newcastle you can't expect that."

McFadden has rung the changes with Friend, lock Sebastine Ikahihifo and second row/prop Sione Lousi omitted from the starting side while Dane Nielsen (concussion) and Tuimoala Lolohea (hamstring) have moved to the sick bay.

Star halfback Shaun Johnson returns to the halves and Ben Matulino will start in the back row alongside Jayson Bukuya, who has been recalled from the New South Wales Cup.

According to the NRL points table, the Knights, ranked third-last from 16 teams, should be no match for a side placed inside the top eight.

But last week's breath-taking 32-30 win against the Storm, and a recent upset of the Roosters, serve as a warning to teams that are willing to test that theory.

Johnson, who spent three weeks nursing a groin injury, said he was proud to see the Warriors climb to sixth spot in his absence, but admitted improvements will be needed to defeat a resurgent Newcastle side.

"Our set finishes - we didn't do them well. That's a key focus for us and we need to get that right if we want to build any sort of pressure against any side," he said.

The Warriors have racked up 66 points in beating the Knights in their previous two encounters and another win would go a long way to booking a finals spot.

"We've just got to put our best foot forward, prepare well and show the right attitude," said Johnson.